Author: Vidya Saras

Starling Bank has been fined £29 million by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) for “shockingly lax” financial crime controls that left the UK’s financial system exposed to criminals and sanctioned individuals. The FCA’s investigation revealed that the digital bank failed to design and implement adequate systems to mitigate financial crime risks, particularly as it rapidly grew from its first account in 2016 to 3.6 million customers by 2023. The FCA raised serious concerns about Starling’s anti-money laundering (AML) and financial sanctions controls as early as 2021 during a review of fast-growing challenger banks. In response, Starling agreed to halt opening…

In case you’re wondering if you’ve got the right blog, never fear… no, I don’t think there’s such a thing as healthy candy! By “healthy” I mean “better than the alternatives.” This means they’re made from real food ingredients, without artificial dyes, additives, artificial sweeteners, and all the other junk found in typical candy. Plus you can even make your own “candy” that really is healthier. I still prefer candy-free gifts or experiences whenever possible, even at Halloween. But thanks to companies making candy with better ingredients, our family can take part in neighborhood trick-or-treat festivities (without resorting to handing…

When Google Lens was introduced in 2017, the search feature accomplished a feat that not too long ago would have seemed like the stuff of science fiction: Point your phone’s camera at an object and Google Lens can identify it, show some context, maybe even let you buy it. It was a new way of searching, one that didn’t involve awkwardly typing out descriptions of things you were seeing in front of you.Lens also demonstrated how Google planned to use its machine learning and AI tools to ensure its search engine shows up on every possible surface. As Google increasingly…

Using the James Webb Space Telescope, astronomers have captured a stunning image of a distant supernova in a galaxy that looks like it’s being stretched like warm taffy.However, the golden smear hiding this gravitationally lensed supernova, which has been nicknamed “supernova Hope,” isn’t just remarkable for its aesthetic value. The supernova, which exploded when the 13.8-billion-year-old universe was just around 3.5 billion years old, tells us something about a huge problem in cosmology called the “Hubble tension.” The Hubble tension comes from the fact that scientists can’t agree on the exact rate of expansion of the universe, dictated by the Hubble…

There had been fears that Ford would miss the games after recent injury setbackAfter seeing specialist, however, he has been told that he does not need surgeryIt is hoped that he will play for club Sale again before joining up with EnglandBy Chris Foy Published: 14:21 EDT, 3 October 2024 | Updated: 16:18 EDT, 3 October 2024 George Ford is set to be cleared for a shot at regaining the England No 10 shirt next month after all – having been told that he doesn’t need surgery on a leg injury.There had been fears that the 31-year-old fly-half would miss…

The union representing tens of thousands of dockworkers across the US has agreed to suspend its strike while negotiations continue.Members of the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) walked out on Tuesday at 14 major ports along the east and Gulf coats, halting container traffic from Maine to Texas.The union says it has reached a tentative agreement on wages and will go back to work on Friday until 15 January, when they will return to the bargaining table to negotiate “all other outstanding issues”. The action marked the first such shutdown in almost 50 years and threatened to wreak chaos amid the…

Unlock the US Election Countdown newsletter for freeThe stories that matter on money and politics in the race for the White HouseOil prices soared to their highest level in more than a month on Thursday as traders speculated that Israel could engage in retaliatory strikes against Iran’s oil industry. Brent crude rose by more than 5 per cent to settle at $77.62 per barrel after US President Joe Biden told reporters that such a move was under discussion in response to Tuesday’s missile attack on Israel by Iran. Asked whether the US would support Israel striking Iran’s oil facilities, Biden…

It’s been a bumper year for incredible anime adaptations, with the likes of Frieren and Delicious in Dungeon faithfully bringing their source material to life on the small screen. But Dan Da Dan‘s anime adaptation might already be a dark horse contender for the best looking show of the year. Dropping today, October 3, on Netflix, Hulu, and Crunchyroll, the first episode of Science Saru’s Dan Da Dan carries the spirit of its source material fantastically. A chaotic premiere thrusting its two protagonists together—Momo Ayase (SSSS. Dynazenon‘s Shion Wakayama), a young girl who comes from a family with ties to the occult and paranormal,…

Brendan Beirne/ Shutterstock(Credit: Brendan Beirne/ Shutterstock)From shocking performances to extraordinary costumes, how performance artist and style icon Leigh Bowery, and his fellow “outlaws and fashion renegades”, birthed a bizarre creative movement – and blazed a trail of chaos.The 1980s: it was the decade of Thatcherism in the UK, and Reaganomics in the US. Generation X came of age; MTV showcased hot new talent like Madonna and Prince. Amid street protests and strikes, consumerism found an anthem in the movie Wall Street’s memorable mantra: “Greed is good”. And Joan Collins’ shoulder pads on Dynasty got bigger and bigger.Brendan Beirne/ ShutterstockLeigh Bowery…

In his take from this Monday, Nikolaus argued that Donald Trump is heavily pro-Bitcoin. I beg to differ.Yes, Trump is providing lip service to Bitcoiners, which is more than we can say of Kamala Harris. The fact that he spoke at the Bitcoin conference is certainly interesting, and at least indicates that he’s aware of the “crypto voter” as a potential voting block. And yes, Trump did show up at PubKey, which was a fun little stunt— though he apparently wasn’t even able to make the payment himself.But it’s blatantly obvious he just wants your money and your vote. Of course,…